Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Forged by FAU - Rich Romano
5/4/2021 1:50:00 PM | Baseball, General
“To still be in Boca and be able to take my son to games is great stuff. That’s one of the great parts of getting to go to a school in the town you grew up in, is that you have those connections. And for coach [McCormack] to still be there 20 years later is awesome, and to see what he’s done, much respect to him.
Richard Romano joined the Florida Atlantic University baseball team in 1996 after two years in JUCO, but his familiarity with the Owls’ program began long before.
A Boca Raton native and Spanish River High graduate, Romano remembers attending FAU baseball games and playing at FAU Baseball Stadium as a youth. That made his transfer decision easier than most.
“It was nice to be home, close to my grandfather who watched me play every day,” Romano said. “I was always a big fan of [FAU coach John McCormack] and [then-coach Kevin] Cooney, so having the ability to play there ended up being perfect for me.”
Romano’s transfer was perfect for FAU baseball, too. The middle infielder helped the Owls earn their best record at the Division I level (39-23) in 1996, a season that culminated with a runner-up finish in the Atlantic Sun Tournament.
In 1997 Romano took his game to another level, leading FAU with a .373 batting average in addition to winning position MVP and postseason All-Conference honors. His team went 32-24 that season, its second-best record since joining Division I.
Romano left FAU after the 1997 season, his second with the program. But the lessons he learned during those two years far outweigh the time spent.
“It really helped me all the way around, not just baseball-wise but as a person,” Romano said. “It definitely helped me grow and develop some of the foundation that helped lead me from there on out.”
That foundation became essential for Romano after the Detroit Tigers selected him in the 30th round of the 1997 MLB June Amateur Draft. Romano, whose lifelong dream was making the MLB, played three years of professional baseball with the West Michigan White Caps, Jamestown Jammers and Lakeland Tigers.
An injury forced Romano to retire at 24, though, but he adjusted quickly by entering pro baseball’s coaching ranks that same year. Romano began coaching and substitute teaching at Boca High soon after. It was there, back in his hometown of Boca Raton, where Romano fielded a soon-to-be life-changing question from a player’s father.
“He asked me what I wanted to do after I was done with baseball,” Romano recalled, “and I said, ‘You know what, at this point I’m really not sure.’”
The man then offered Romano an internship at a local community bank and Romano accepted.
Romano exceled in that internship and parlayed it into a fruitful 20-year mortgage career. He’s now the executive vice president of Delray Beach’s CrossCountry Mortgage after starting as a regional manager with the company in 2017.
Though the skills Romano utilized to dominate on the baseball field don’t all translate to business, the former shortstop still has plenty to use to his advantage.
“Baseball is a great metaphor for life, overall,” said Romano, who majored in business at FAU. “In baseball if you fail seven out of 10 times, you’re a Hall-of-Famer, right? You hit .300, you’re a Major Leaguer. You get used to defeat and you have to adjust on a day-to-day basis. You’re always adjusting, and in life overall you’re not going to win every day. It definitely gives you that ability to battle.”
Romano played under the last name Ozarowski while at FAU but changed it before his son’s birth to honor his grandfather, who raised him. Part of that upbringing was attending FAU baseball games, a tradition Romano is proud to continue.
“To still be in Boca and be able to take my son to games is great stuff,” Romano said. “That’s one of the great parts of getting to go to a school in the town you grew up in, is that you have those connections. And for coach [McCormack] to still be there 20 years later is awesome, and to see what he’s done, much respect to him.
“It was a blessing being able to play there.”
